La Spezia: Festival of experimental popular archeology on the Ancient World.

The 17th edition of the Paleofestival kicks off, the Festival of Experimental Popular Archeology on the Ancient World, which will be held at Castello San Giorgio della Spezia during the days of April 27th and 28th and presented today at a press conference by the Mayor Pierluigi Peracchini, by the director of Cultural Services Rosanna Ghirri and by the curator of the project Donatella Alessi.
“In its seventeen years of life, the Paleofestival has become an unmissable event in the cultural calendar of La Spezia, and beyond, thanks to the constant renewal of the proposed activities which have involved an increasingly vast and heterogeneous audience, enjoying great success and appreciation from the of the participants – declares the Mayor of La Spezia Pierluigi Peracchini – this edition will also see several new features that will certainly involve and interest.”
In these two days the garden, the terraces and all the spaces of the Castle they will be transformed into a large urban archaeological park where interactive points will be created led by experimental archaeologists, archaeotechnicians, teaching staff of museums and archaeological parks and experimenters to disseminate, with interactive demonstrations and workshops, the uses and customs of Prehistory and ancient civilizations .
Through experiential activities, playful moments, manual workshops and shows to experience firsthand, the Palefestival disseminates archaeological experiments by teaching children and adults to manipulate matter to produce prehistoric tools and utensils so that, knowing the roots of our past, they can improve their future in a new awareness of the relationship with the environment and society .

In ancient times, in fact, the reuse and recycling of materials was fundamental for economic savings, and the practical transmission of knowledge was the main method of teaching, since together they guaranteed the survival and progress of the entire community.
The program this year is particularly rich in proposals, 35 different activities, and there will be present, in addition to the trusted protagonists of previous editions, new experimenters and new collaborations with archaeological parks from all over Italy and also from Corsica.

At the end of the day 27th April a show based on stories and music will be presented which will narrate the fundamental stages of the long human journey, with the background music of Antonio Vivaldi, which will lead us to the knowledge of the discoveries that have changed our history.
The most significant innovation this year is the revival of the international scientific conference of the Paleofestival “Fifth meeting on experimental archeology studies. Problems and solutions between research and dissemination" which will take place on Sunday 28 April from 11.00 to 13.00 free entry and without reservation.
The proceedings of the conference, after institutional greetings from Mayor Peracchini, will be introduced by Donatella Alessi, curator of the Castello San Giorgio Museum and moderated by the archaeologist Edoardo Ratti.

Themes covered will be the story of new archaeological experiments and specialist research and the presentation of archaeological parks, their archaeological excavations and their educational activities.

Speakers during the conference will include: Marta Coccoluto, manager of the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia “Populonia, city by the sea. Archaeological research, valorization projects and cultural management"; Vincent Lascour of the Chalcophore Association, “The obsidian road. The circumnavigation of Corsica in a single-axle pirogue”; Stefano Ricci, anthropologist from the University of Siena, “We, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans: prehistoric stories of coexistence”; Fabio Fazzini, archaeologist, “Amber, history and processing in the Piceno area of ​​the Iron Age”.
How to book.
Also this year there will be workshops for adults who will finally be able to have fun alone or with their children. It is recommended for all participants to choose and book for the activities planned for the day.
The entrance ticket costs 5 euros a day; 8 euros two days.

Family ticket parents and children 15 euros one day and 20 euros two days; additional companion 2.50 euros per day.
The event will take place even in case of bad weather.
Pre-sale is active at the Castle Museum.
Info: tel. 0187/751142 and 0187/727219
E-MAIL: sangiorgio.segreteria@comune.sp.it
San Giorgio Castle Museum, via XXVII Marzo, La Spezia
Internet sites: museodelcastello.spezianet.it ;
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